Gimme Shelter
by Upsgirl88
Summary: Carol Peletier is brought to the MC for protection by Gemma after she finds her in the hospital chapel about to go back to her abusive hubby. Daryl Dixon is a new Prospect with the SOA motorcycle club and Gem gives him the task of taking care of Carol. When Carol falls for her protector she must decide if she has what it takes to be Daryl's Old Lady and accept SAMCRO as her family.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: I know pretty much all my readers are Caryl fans, so I want to assure you that if you give this one a chance, even though it's an SOA crossover, it's still very much a Caryl fic. It's basically a Caryl AU in the SOA setting instead of TWD setting. There will be some Gemma/Nero as well, but if you're not familiar with them you can just see them as OCs and I hope I'll give enough detail that things won't be confusing for those who don't know anything about them. I'm really hoping y'all will give this one a chance. I think it'll be a fun one. Let me know what you think._

 **Chapter 1**

Her body was still sore as she walked down the hallway after being discharged. Carol didn't miss the looks of pity from the nurses. Her face still held the evidence of the most recent beating she'd taken from her husband Ed. She maintained that she'd fallen down the stairs while doing laundry. Just like all the other lies she'd told the nurses and doctors over the last 10 years. She'd learned a lot, like how to pop her own shoulder back into place and put her arm in a sling to prevent yet another trip to the hospital, or how to use butterfly bandages to patch a deep cut and avoid stitches.

But the last beating nearly killed her. She'd been in the hospital for 5 days after being delivered to the ER unconscious. From her crumpled state at the bottom of the stairs (yes she had indeed fallen down the stairs, but it was a hard shove not an accident) she had passed out 4 times before she was able to get herself to a phone and call 9-1-1.

Countless doctors, therapists, nurses, and psychologists had tried to get the truth out of her. They knew. But Carol kept her story the same and dismissed their help. Now, it was time to leave. Time to go back home to the monster who hadn't even come to visit her once. The monster who wasn't coming to pick her up. The monster that would put her right back to work the second she walked in the door…And now Carol was wishing she had of told the truth to someone.

There was somewhere she needed to go before she left. There was one person she needed to tell the truth to, even though he already knew. With a deep breath she pushed open the door to the chapel and stepped inside. Thankfully it was empty, just like she'd hoped it would be. Carol walked to the front and took a seat. She looked at the cross hanging on the wall, studied it, and thought about what the man himself had been through. "I will survive," she whispered to him. "I'm strong."

Carol closed her eyes and started to pray. She spoke to God about everything that happened that awful day. How one little thing led to Ed almost killing her. She told him how terrified she was to go back to Ed. And she told the lord how she still felt like she could change him, and find the man she'd fallen in love with once again. Then she asked for a sign to show her the way. If she wasn't meant to go back to Ed she prayed that God would give her another path.

When Carol opened her eyes she realized someone else had come into the chapel. The woman was tall, with long curly dark hair that had blonde streaks. She was beautiful, likely a few years older than Carol, and dressed very sexy. Carol looked down at her own clothes with envy. She might not have the body this woman had, but she would have loved to be able to show off her own curves, at least a little.

The woman sat down across from her and their eyes met. "Oh shit sweetheart. Who did that to you?" Carol was too shocked to reply. "Your husband?" As hard as she tried to stop them tears sprung to her eyes. The woman moved across the aisle to sit closer. "You're not going back to him are you?"

Carol opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The tears were rolling down her cheeks. Finally she was able to get a sentence out. "I have no where else to go," she whispered. She'd been to shelters before and she always ended up going back home. She wasn't going there again.

"Well you do now, come on," the woman said, standing up. Carol stared at her. What did that mean? She sighed. "I'm sorry. Gemma," she said, reaching out her hand.

Carol shook it. "Carol," she replied softly.

Gemma sat down again. "Listen, I've been where you are. But for me, it only happened once. I left the man I've loved half my life. It was hard, but he will never hurt me again. I know you're scared right now, but if you come with me I promise my family will keep you safe." Carol's heart was pounding. She'd asked God for a sign and now this complete stranger was offering her help. Was this her sign? She had to believe it was. "Come on Sweetheart," Gemma said, standing again.

"Okay," Carol replied, nodding her head. She felt like she was in a daze as she followed her saviour to a black SUV and climbed in. "Why are you doing this?" she asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Gemma laughed. "Well believe it or not… I actually came in the chapel to pray." Carol wasn't sure exactly what that meant. "My new man might be rubbing off on me," she added. Carol noticed the little smile and glow on her face. The new man must be pretty special, she decided. "But when I saw you there… I don't know… I was going to leave because you were so focussed, but instead I watched you for a minute… And I decided to stay. Something just told me to stay, I can't explain it. When I saw your face - I knew. And I guess…" she paused and looked thoughtful. "I guess it just all added up and I knew I needed to help you."

It all made perfect sense to Carol, especially after she'd asked for a sign. "Well, I don't know how I'll ever repay you for your kindness, but… thank you."

"I'm glad to help," Gemma said, looking over at her. "So listen, first thing we're gonna do is get you some clothes. I would take you to my place, but Diosa is closer and they have way more sizes."

"Diosa?" Carol asked. "What's that?"

Gemma had a little smirk on her face. "It's a club. We're almost there." Why so mysterious, Carol wondered. "Here we are," she announced moments later. 

"Oh," Carol said in surprise. "Is this… uh… a strip club?"

Gemma laughed again. "Oh no, not a strip club." She didn't offer any further explanation, just got out and headed for the door. Carol quickly followed. When the stepped inside she realized it wasn't a strip club, but some kind of gentleman's club or something of the like. Carol followed Gemma's eyes to a handsome hispanic man talking to a pretty blonde across the room.

Carol noticed the glow again. "Who's that?" she asked. "He's cute."

Gemma looked at her with a smile, "That's my pimp."

"Your pimp… you're a…" Carol was stammering, but she certainly hadn't pegged Gemma for a prostitute.

"Relax," she laughed. "He's a pimp. And he's mine. Two independent things." She started towards him. "Come, I'll introduce you." The man was smiling as he watched them approach. "Hey Baby," Gemma said, leaning in to kiss him warmly. "This is Carol. Carol, Nero."

"Nice to meet you Carol," he said, lifting her hand to his lips. His accent was sexy and the whole encounter made her blush.

"Nice to meet you too," she said shyly.

"And this is Lyla," Gemma said, introducing the blonde. They exchanged pleasantries and Gemma continued. "Can you take Carol into wardrobe and let her pick out a couple outfits please?"

"Yeah, of course," Lyla replied, without needing any further explanation at all. "Come with me," she said sweetly to Carol.

"It's okay," Gemma said reassuringly when Carol hesitated. Carol followed Lyla down the hall into a big room filled with clothes. There were racks of costumes and skimpy lingerie, a huge selection of shoes, and several racks of dresses, dress pants, casual clothing, blouses… Carol had no idea where to even start.

"Take what you like, we get new stuff in all the time… job perks," Lyla said with a wink. "Oh and don't worry… all the stuff in here is clean. Half of it probably still has the tags on it." She grabbed a pair of pants and showed Carol the tag to prove it. "I'll let you try stuff on," she added, starting towards the door.

"Uh… Lyla…" Carol stopped her. She was completely overwhelmed and out of her element. She looked down at her clothes and then up at the young woman. "Do you have time to… um… help me?"

Her face softened and she nodded, "Of course. We'll find something perfect for you. What kind of look are you going for?" Carol shrugged and gave her an apologetic look. "It's okay, let's just start looking through the racks." In a matter of minutes Carol started to relax and pretty soon she was having the time of her life. The clothes in that room were things she had dreamed of wearing. Things Ed would never have allowed her to buy, let alone wear. The first outfit she tried on made her feel so sexy and beautiful it brought tears to her eyes. Lyla was an absolute sweetheart and pretty soon they had put together 3 amazing outfits that Carol loved. "Who knew you had that body under those baggy clothes," Lyla said with a whistle. "You look hot."

Carol blushed as she studied the outfit in the mirror. "Thank you," she whispered, turning towards Lyla for a hug.

GEMMA - GEMMA - GEMMA - GEMMA - GEMMA - GEMMA - GEMMA

"Am I crazy?" Gemma asked Nero with a sigh.

"Nah Mama, you just have a great big heart in there under this scar," he replied, tracing a finger along the raised bump of skin that trailed down between her breasts. His touch made her shiver. "Ain't nothing wrong with helping someone in need."

"I saw her there in that chapel and I just… I had to," Gemma shrugged. She couldn't explain what she'd felt inside when she saw the bruises on Carol's face. It wasn't in her nature to pick up strays, she had enough shit going on in the family.

"Hey, shhh, you don't have to explain," Nero said, slipping his arms around her waist. "You did the right thing Gem. It's okay." Gemma laid her head against his chest. Nero was such an amazing guy. He was kind and warm, and he balanced her abrasiveness.

"Am I getting soft?" she asked, drawing back to look at him. Nero was smirking at her and she smacked his ass. "Fuck off," she said with a laugh. "You and your damn charity are rubbing off on me." She knew he had a weakness for helping others in need.

"The little mariposa is lucky you found her Gem," he said, kissing her. "Woah… she ain't no mariposa no more… Lyla turned your little butterfly into a sexy zorro…" Gemma looked at him, in her annoyed look that meant she needed a translation. "Fox," he added. Gemma turned and her jaw dropped. The abused housewife had it going on. Tight jeans tucked into a sexy pair of black high heeled boots with a black tight shirt, with cut outs showing her shoulders and some cleavage, and a gorgeous wide silver chain belt that sat low on her hips, accentuating her curves. "Wow, you look amazing," Nero complimented her, giving Carol a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for the clothes," Gemma said, tangling her fingers with Nero's and giving him a smile. "Time to take you to the clubhouse to meet the others," she said to Carol.

"Thank you all, so much," Carol gushed, looking teary eyed. She hugged Lyla and took the rest of the clothes and Gemma led her towards the door.

"See you tonight," she said to Nero, giving him another quick peck at the door. When her and Carol were back in the truck she headed towards TM. "So you'll be safe here and you can stay as long as you need. There's a spare room, it's all yours," Gemma explained on the way. "There's always someone around, you'll never be alone. But I need to warn you… it's Chib's birthday and there's a big party tonight… it's gonna get pretty wild. Nero and I will be there for a while." Carol looked a bit nervous as Gemma pulled into the lot. "Tell you what… I'll leave you the key to my office," she said, pointing at a little building. "There's a couch in there, so if it's too noisy you can sleep there."

She saw Carol's eyes widen as they parked and got out. "You're… this is… SAMCRO?" Carol whispered nervously. Everyone in town knew who the Sons of Anarchy were and most were scared of the biker club.

"When you're part of the family these guys will die to save you Sweetheart," Gemma said, leading her towards the clubhouse. She noticed most of the bikes were gone, including her son and club president Jax's, so the crew must have been out on business. "Don't be scared," she said, reaching out to touch Carol's shoulder as she led her inside. "You're safe now."

When they got inside there were only a few people around. Gemma waved over the closest guy. "Hey, Prospect, get over here." The newest recruit came right over. He was a handsome young guy with the sexiest arms she'd ever seen. He was a bit shy, but Gemma had liked him instantly and he'd really fit in with the club right from the start. "This is Carol. You're going to show her around, introduce her to everyone, make sure she's comfortable… oh and keep her safe. Her husband is a colossal asshole." He looked at Carol's face and understood, giving a nod. "Basically… you're her bitch until I say otherwise, got it?" He nodded again and she turned to Carol. "I'll be in my office most of the day and then I'll be back tonight for the party. He'll take good care of you, or I'll serve up his balls on a platter," Gemma said, giving the Prospect a look. "You good?"

"Yeah… I think so," Carol replied, looking a little more relaxed. "Thank you Gemma."

"Okay… Good." And with that Gemma left, leaving Carol in the capable hands of the handsome Daryl Dixon. 


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Just wanted to say a quick thank you to those of you who are giving this one a chance! I see there are a few who are SOA fans which is awesome, and maybe I can convince a few more of you to give it a shot! My main man Nero doesn't arrive until S5 though so you gotta commit, LOL. Anyway, I hope this chapter gives you the feel of what I was saying before, even though Gemma and Nero are main characters the story is mostly focussed on Caryl. I have a little side story planned for Gero but it is meant to compliment the Caryl story, not distract from it. Anyway, hope you enjoy this one. It's a lot longer than my typical chapters - sorry about that!_

 **Chapter 2**

"I'm almost ready," Gemma called out, when she heard Nero come into the bedroom.

He poked his head into the en suite bathroom and watched her apply her mascara. They smiled at each other in the mirror. It was so nice to have someone that she looked forward to seeing everyday. And someone she missed when they were apart for more than a few minutes.

"How's Carol settling in?" He asked, leaning on the door frame.

"I checked on her before I came home to change," Gemma replied. "She actually seemed alright," she nodded her head in thought. Gem knew it wouldn't take long for Carol to feel at home living at the club but she also knew it wasn't the kind of lifestyle Carol was used to and she worried the culture shock might scare her a bit. "Daryl is watching her like a hawk though," Gemma added with a smirk. "It's actually kinda adorable."

Nero was quiet and Gemma realized he was trying not to smile. "What?" She gave him a harmless glare in the mirror. "Oh God… it's true, I really am going soft aren't it?" She moaned. She turned and narrowed her eyes, "This is utterly and completely your fault."

"Me?" Nero pretended to be shocked. He crossed his arms and gave her a smug look. "How do ya figure, Mama?"

"You and your sweet, romantic side," she scoffed. "I'm a companionator. I'm all about the love," she muttered, quoting him and mimicking his accent, badly.

"Ouch," Nero wrinkled his nose. "I do not sound anything like that."

Gemma laughed. "Yeah that was bad. But still, totally your fault that I'm feeling so squishy lately."

"Mmm," he sighed, stepping forward to pull her against him. "Nope, not squishy at all," Nero groaned, grabbing her ass with both hands.

Gemma rolled her eyes. "Don't start," she warned. "We can't be late."

"Yep," he replied, essentially ignoring her as he leaned in to suck on her neck.

"Did you want to piss on me too?" Gemma joked, as he pulled away and she saw the little red mark on her neck. "Keep all the other dogs away?"

Nero just laughed and found her mouth instead. If she let him keep going they were definitely going to be late. She promised she would help finish setting up and get everyone organized for the surprise before Jax brought Chibs home. But, dammit, she loved kissing him… and she loved what came after the kissing… it felt so good… "Okay," she gasped, pulling away. "Save that for later, please?"

Nero pouted but agreed. "Oh fine, I don't want to keep you from all your other boys."

Gemma laughed. "You're the only one I want to bring home." She quickly put on her lipstick. "Let's go."

When they arrived at the club everyone was at work, even Carol. She was helping Daryl hang a banner. Gemma stopped to watch for a moment. "They look like an old married couple," Nero whispered in her ear. Daryl was up on a ladder and Carol was helping him get the banner straight. Everytime she directed him Daryl would give her a look like he was totally annoyed, but watching it from a distance Gem, and clearly Nero too, could tell he was actually enjoying it. Daryl was like one of those boys in grade school trying to pretend that girls are gross, but really all he wants is the girl's attention. "Fuck, look at his face," Nero snorted. "They just met and he's smitten with her."

Gemma nodded in agreement. Smitten was the perfect word. But suddenly she was nervous. She hadn't intended on playing cupid. Daryl was there and she'd needed someone to keep Carol safe and make sure she got settled in. Carol had a crazy husband somewhere out there, who would be looking for her any time now… "Hey Mama, stop that," Nero's voice brought her out of her own head. "He's a big boy. She's a big girl. Let it be… let it flow…"

Gemma sighed. "You're right." She shrugged, "Who knows… maybe they'd be good for each other." She got the sense Carol had been with the asshole for a long time. And even though Daryl had been single as long as she'd known him, not once had she seen him partake in all the porn pussy that had been around, nor had he showed up at Diosa looking for an, uh, companion. Not that she hadn't seen him wander off with a random chick at a party… but he was always a bit shy around the ladies, compared to the others.

It was time to get to business. "So can you go help Tig and Happy at the bar. Those two yahoos are gonna drink half the supply before Chibs even gets here," Gemma said to Nero. "I'm gonna go bark orders at people, get this place in shape." With that they both headed off to get to work.

CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL

"Just a little more to the left… no that's too far… down a bit… no…" This is hopeless, Carol thought. "Just like half an inch… too far…"

Daryl jumped off the ladder. "You do it," he snapped, gesturing towards the ladder.

Carol glared at him. "I can't climb the ladder in these boots… can I?" she added, looking at him, her face softening. She felt silly, but she honestly didn't know if going up a ladder in high heeled boots was dangerous. It likely was, given that simply walking in the damn things had been a challenge at first. But they looked so sexy she couldn't bear to take them off.

"I dunno," he shrugged, looking down at her boots. "Gemma wears boots like that all the time and she does everything."

"Of course she does," Carol muttered. She wasn't feeling bitter, but more envious. Gemma had her shit together. Everyone she'd met so far loved Gemma, even though most of them were scared of her. Gemma didn't take no for an answer. When she said jump, people asked how high. Carol couldn't imagine how it would feel to have that kind of power, but there was a little part of her that really wanted to find out. Maybe being around Gemma would bring out that side of her… if she had a side like that somewhere in there… "Well you need to hold the ladder," she said to Daryl, stepping onto the first rung.

The next thing she knew his hands were gripping the ladder, holding it steady, but it put her body inside his arms. And, she realized, as she carefully moved up a couple more steps, her ass pretty much directly in his face. Carol ignored her shaky legs and quickly fixed the banner. When she leaned and reached to adjust the far side she felt Daryl's hand on her thigh, holding her steady. She was about to snap at him for letting go of the ladder, but she decided she liked how it felt with him touching her. "There, all done," she announced, righting herself and starting down the ladder. When she got to the bottom Daryl hadn't let go of the ladder yet. Carol could feel his body heat behind her and she could see his sexy biceps in her peripheral vision.

She somehow managed to turn around inside his arms. "Thanks," she said softly.

"Oh, uh, yeah, no problem," he stammered, finally letting go and backing off to give her some space. "Looks great," Daryl added, pointing up at the sign.

Nero walked up and broke up what could have become an awkward moment. "Hey Mariposa," he said sweetly. Carol wasn't sure what that meant, but she knew it wasn't anything bad.

"Hi," Carol replied. "Thank you again for the clothes," she said, smiling as she looked down at her outfit.

"I need a drink," Daryl muttered as a way of excusing himself. They watched him wander over to the bar and grab a beer.

"So, I was thinking… if you're interested… maybe you would consider working for me? At Diosa?" Nero asked. Was he serious? Was he asking her to be a… Carol's jaw must have hit the floor. "Oh, woah… not like that," he said quickly. "Sorry, I should have explained first," he chuckled. "We need someone to do the books," he said with a sigh. "A few of the girls have tried but… uh… math just ain't their forte."

"Oh, you need a bookkeeper," Carol sighed with relief. "That's something I can do," she nodded. She did all the finances at home. Paid the bills, balanced the chequebook, even did their taxes to save money on an accountant.

"Yeah?" Nero looked excited. "It's gonna be a mess at first…" he looked apologetic.

"That's okay," Carol smiled at him. "If there's anything I know how to deal with it's a good mess," she joked. They chatted a little longer and she agreed to start the following Monday.

As soon as Nero left Daryl returned. As the night continued she noticed that was his pattern. Any time someone would come talk to her Daryl would find a reason to leave, but he never went far - he was always hovering close, and as soon as the person would leave he would be right back with her.

Carol did her best to hang back and just observe the party. It was absolute culture shock for her, but it was also extremely intriguing and it left a tingle of excitement inside her. The lifestyle these people lived was clearly nothing short of wild and crazy, but it made her want it too. Seeing the girls whirling around on the dance floor, with absolutely no inhibitions… it made her envious. When she watched Gemma and Nero slow dance it made her heart ache. They were so in love it made her want to cry just looking at them. The way he held her close, the way her eyes were closed as she melted into him… Carol wanted that too. She was quite certain even when she thought she loved Ed… it had never been like the two of them.

Sometime after midnight things got just a little too insane for Carol. Gemma and Nero had already left. They came and said goodbye and Gemma gave her the office key like she promised she would. She also left her a prepaid cell and her phone number in case of emergency.

Carol was pretty sure she was the only one that wasn't completely wasted at that point. Well, her and likely Daryl, though she knew he'd had his fair share of beer she was pretty sure he wasn't even close to everyone else in the room. She had already seen the guy with the mohawk… what was his name? Apple juice… yeah, Juice, that was it - he'd taken a blonde and a redhead to his room. That wasn't a big deal. It was the heavy make out sessions that were happening all over the room to the point she was pretty sure some of them had turned into oral and even full intercourse, that had her feeling extremely out of place.

She pushed away the fear and loneliness that was creeping up inside her. The only other choice you have is to go home to the man that almost killed you, she reminded herself. No, that was not going to happen. Carol sucked in a breath and walked over to Daryl at the bar. She had to speak loud for him to hear her over the music. "I'm going to my room to sleep now," she said. He nodded and reached for another beer. "Night," Carol said with a wave. Maybe he could really enjoy himself now that she would be safe in her room, Carol thought, looking back over her shoulder. He hadn't moved from the bar and didn't seem to be interested in anything but the beer bottle in his hand.

Carol went into her room and laid down on the bed without getting undressed. Just as she suspected, the music was thumping and there was no way in hell she was going to get any sleep until the party wound down. Unless… she fished the key out of her pocket and held it up, turning it over in her hand. TM was printed on the keytag. It stood for Teller-Morrow, the name of their garage. Gemma must have known she would need it.

When she got back out to the main room Daryl was no longer at the bar. Maybe he had found someone to keep him company after all, she thought. Carol wasn't prepared for the pang of jealousy that followed the thought and she stumbled slightly with the physical feel of the jab in her heart. She shook it off and kept walking. What the hell was that about? She wondered as she pushed open the door and headed across the lot to Gemma's office. She didn't even know him. Tired I guess, Carol decided. She let herself into the office and turned on the light. She found a desk lamp and turned it on so she could shut off the main light.

Quiet. Carol sunk down to sit on the couch and she saw there was a blanket, pillow and note. _Hope you get some rest - Gem._ Carol chuckled at the fact Gemma knew she'd come to the office. She reached for her boots and had just pulled off the second one when the office door swung open. "Oh my God," she gasped, jumping to her feet while trying to find something to throw at her intruder, until she realized it was Daryl.

"Really?" he said, giving her a look. "You sneak off… and you leave the damn door unlocked so anyone can just walk in?"

"Fuck," Carol muttered. "Sorry," she muttered sweetly, giving him a cute look.

"It's fine," he grumbled. "But ya should have told me you were coming out here." He locked the door with a click.

"You were gone," she snapped. "Sorry," she said again. She hadn't meant to sound so bitchy.

"I had to piss," he explained.

"Well, I'm fine. You go back to the party, I promise I'll lock the door when you leave," Carol instructed him.

"Oh hell no," Daryl shook his head. "I ain't leaving you out here alone. If anything happens to you Gemma will…"

"Gemma gave me the key," Carol interrupted. "She didn't tell me I needed to bring a bodyguard, so I'm sure it's fine." Daryl shook his head and crossed his arms stubbornly. "Well where are you gonna sleep?" She looked around the small office. "There's just this one couch."

"I don't need to sleep," he said, taking a seat in the desk chair. "You get some rest."

Carol didn't feel like arguing with him. It was pretty clear he wasn't going to budge anyway. She grabbed the pillow and blanket, got herself situated and laid down on the couch. But the longer she lay there she more guilty she felt. "Daryl?" 

"Hmm?" he grunted.

"Come take this pillow and blanket and you can sleep on the floor," she said.

"I told ya, I don't need…"

"Just take it," she hissed. "Take it now and lay down, right there on the floor and sleep," Carol demanded.

"Okay," he replied, coming over to get the blanket and pillow. Well, that was easy she thought, allowing herself a little smile. Maybe Gemma was rubbing off on her already. In a matter of seconds Daryl was laying beside her on the floor. "I don't really need the blanket, if ya want it," he said gently, holding it up to her.

"Oh.. okay, thanks," Carol replied, taking it from him. The office was quite warm so she used it as a pillow instead. As tired as she was Carol couldn't seem to fall asleep. "Daryl?" she said again.

"Hmm?" he gave his standard response.

"What's SAMCRO stand for?" she asked. Carol had been curious of what the acronym on their vest meant.

"Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original," he replied quickly.

"Huh," she replied. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep again. Then she thought of another question. "Daryl?" she said again.

"Mmm hmm?" he replied.

"Why does your vest say 'prospect?'" Carol asked.

"I'm not in the club yet," Daryl explained. "I have to prove myself first and if I'm lucky, maybe one day they'll patch me in. Or they kick my ass to the curb."

"You'll get in," she replied confidently. She'd only been around one day, but she saw the way the other guys were with Daryl. They liked him and Jax respected him.

"Thanks," he whispered. It sounded very genuine as if he really wasn't sure himself and it felt good to have someone tell him.

For a third time Carol closed her eyes and tried to sleep. And once again she had something she wanted to ask him. "Daryl?" she whispered. There was no answer and then she heard him snore softly. Carol smiled. Typical man, asleep in a matter of seconds, even after he assured her he didn't need to sleep. She rolled onto her side and she could just see his face in the dim glow of the lamp. He really was a handsome guy. He had a young face, but Carol had a feeling he wasn't all that much younger than her. He looked very peaceful as he slept and it made her feel warm and happy.

As much as she really hadn't wanted him there at first, Carol realized she was thankful to have him. Daryl was like a guard dog sleeping at her feet. Not that he really had a choice. Carol knew he was scared of pissing off Gemma just like most of the others, but it was still sweet that he was taking his job so seriously.

She rolled onto her back again and closed her eyes. What a weird, weird day, Carol thought. But for the first time since she'd married Ed she actually had a taste of freedom - and it felt good. Maybe a little too good. Her last thought was a curiosity of what the next day would bring and she couldn't wait to find out.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Just to answer a couple questions from the reviews: CLADD - no it will NEVER get old and yeah, I def had you in mind when I started this one :) As for everyone else who is reading, following, reviewing - y'all are the BEST! I have so much passion for this one, so I freak out like a crazy person with every email notification I get, LOL And I'm not exaggerating. Thank you a million times over!_

 **Chapter 3**

Carol woke to the sound of the door opening. "Well isn't this cute?" Gemma said to Nero, smirking at the sight before her. Carol sat up and yawned, then looked down at Daryl who was still asleep.

"Some guard dog he is?" she muttered, swinging her legs over to the floor and kicking him gently.

"Huh? What? Is someone here?" Daryl jumped to his feet instantly and drew his gun, aiming it at Gemma and Nero.

"Hey, at least he's a quick draw," Gemma said, rolling her eyes. "Okay Marshall Dillon, go get showered so you'll fully alert." Daryl eyed Carol and hesitated. "She'll be okay, with us," Gemma motioned to herself and Nero.

"What am I doing after I shower?" he asked, putting his gun away.

"I promised Carol yesterday that someone would take her home to get some of her things while her hubby is at work," Gemma explained. "I think Jax needs you this afternoon…" she looked to Nero for confirmation.

"Got a few things he wants to work on at Diosa," Nero replied. Carol smiled. She was excited to start working there and she knew Nero would be a great boss. She could tell that he was a good guy. The way he was so patient and observant, and the way he was so attentive and gentle with Gemma. Once again she felt that pang of envy. It wasn't that she was jealous of Gemma having Nero, she was just envious because she wanted someone like that too. She couldn't help but notice the way they were always in close proximity to one another and often touching each other, likely without even knowing they were doing it.

Daryl nodded and left. "Uh, I wouldn't mind having a quick shower too," Carol said. She had a quick shower at the hospital before she was released but she still felt icky.

"Well unless you wanna shower with him you might wanna give him a few minutes first," Gemma laughed. Carol blushed and Gem apologized. "Sorry Sweetheart. Here, have some coffee in the meantime," she passed over a steaming mug and Carol took it gratefully.

"I'm gonna go talk to Jax… see what kind of disaster the club is in this morning," Nero announced. He kissed Gemma on the cheek and left.

The two women chatted for about 20 minutes about how Carol was feeling. She admitted that she was a bit nervous that Ed would find her, but Gemma promised to keep her safe. Carol believed she was truly safe with Gemma and her extended family, though she couldn't get the way Daryl had drawn his weapon out of her head. If there was danger - he wouldn't have hesitated taking a shot. It was comforting and terrifying all at the same time. Had he killed people before? Had Gemma? Nero? Chances were they either had committed or had knowledge of murders. The thought itself was shocking for someone as sheltered as she'd been all of her life. But this was a biker gang she was involved with now - a gang. They were involved in a lot of dangerous, scary shit. But they were offering her help and protection. It was this bizarre contrast of good people doing bad things that was hard for Carol to wrap her mind around. Anything was better than being abused, a prisoner in her own home, and Carol was truly thankful for the help.

"I'm sure the shower is free if you want to head over to the club now," Gemma said. "Come find me when you get back and I'll have Chucky fix us up something to eat."

Carol wondered who Chucky was, she hadn't met anyone with that name yet. She went into the clubhouse and made a beeline through the chaos to her room. It was a mess out in the main room. There were people passed out all over the place, some wearing clothes - some not. She grabbed her things quickly and headed to the shower. People would be waking up soon and she didn't want to lose the chance while she had it.

Half an hour later she was showered, changed, dressed and she'd used the bottle of mouthwash on the counter, making a mental note to be absolutely sure she grabbed her toothbrush. Daryl was waiting in the hallway when she came out of her room. "You think you can fit everything you're bringing in here?" he asked, holding up a large backpack.

Carol thought for a moment. She really didn't have a lot to take. Some underwear, bras, a few clothes, toiletries, her purse… that was really it. She didn't have a lot of possessions because she wasn't allowed to have anything Ed didn't think she needed. "Yeah I think so," she said with a nod.

"Perfect. Here," he handed her a helmet.

"What… what's this for?" She asked.

"You have to wear a helmet… to ride on the back of my bike," he replied, giving her a strange look. Carol felt silly. Of course they were going on a motorcycle - biker club and all. "If you couldn't fit it all in the backpack I would have asked Gemma to borrow her SUV," he explained.

"Maybe it won't all fit in the pack after all," Carol said quickly.

Daryl narrowed his eyes and then smirked at her. "You're scared," he said.

Carol sighed. "I've never been on a motorcycle before." Part of her was actually excited, but a bigger part envisioned wiping out and leaving half her skin on the road. "Can I even ride with this outfit?" She was wearing a pair of black capris, gladiator style sandals, and a cute white blouse under a fitted leather jacket.

Daryl shrugged, "Just going across town, you'll be fine." He started to walk away and she had no choice but to follow. When they got outside he stopped in front of his bike and started to put on his own helmet. Carol followed suit but her hands were shaking and she couldn't get it done up. "Here, let me help," Daryl offered. His voice was much softer when he spoke again, "I'm a good driver, I promise. I won't go too fast. You'll be just fine." Carol felt his hands brushing under her chin as he did up the helmet. He snugged it tight. "Ready?"

"Yep, I think so." He gave her a few instructions and then got on, waiting for her to climb on behind him. Carol took a deep breath and swung a leg over. She reached around his waist to hold on like he'd said and they were off. Her heart was pounding at first with fear, but by the time they were two blocks away from TM her heart was still pounding but with excitement. It was easy to see why people got addicted to riding. It was such an incredible feeling to have the wind flowing past your body. It felt like… well, freedom.

It didn't take her long at all to completely relax and she started to take in her surroundings. When they came to a stop at a streetlight Carol noticed the looks she was getting. There were some that looked disgusted, while others looked incredibly envious. She wasn't sure how to take either kind of glare from these strangers. So she did the only thing she could think of and smiled. For once she honestly didn't give a damn what others thought of her. They didn't know what she'd been through in her life or why she was with Daryl. They didn't know what kind of man he was or that he would die to save her life if it ever came to that. But Carol knew. These men had a code and they didn't stray from it. If Daryl was given a job he would do it, without question and without fear.

When they finally pulled up to her house the car was in the drive. It wasn't surprising because Ed often carpooled to work or walked on nice days. It was only a few blocks and he often spent gas money on booze or gambling or other stupid shit he didn't need. Daryl followed her up to the door and watched as she grabbed the spare key from above the doorframe. After she opened the door he stopped her and drew his gun. He entered first and then motioned for her to come in. "Make sure he ain't here," Daryl whispered.

"Ed?" Carol called loudly. "Ed?" she yelled again. Nothing. The house was empty. "He's not here," she announced. Then she looked around. "Holy shit," she muttered. The house was a disgusting mess. She wandered into the kitchen and almost gagged at the smell. The sink was full of dishes, the garbage was overflowing and the floor was muddy. Instinctively she yanked open the dishwasher, which she knew would be empty and started to put things in it.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Daryl asked, giving her a strange look.

"Oh… uh… it's so dirty," she muttered, it was the only excuse she could come up with. "I need to clean…" Carol hadn't realized how much coming home would affect her and her mind was suddenly swarmed with too many thoughts. The only thing she could do was go into robot mode and that meant cleaning.

"Carol?" he stepped closer. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yep," she nodded, trying to convince him and herself. "Just let me load this up and…"

"No," he snapped. His tone scared her and Carol dropped the plate she was holding. It hit the floor and broke into several pieces. She looked at Daryl, wide-eyed. "You ain't doing shit for this fucker anymore," he said icily. "Get your stuff and let's get outta here."

"But.. but…" she protested. "It won't take long to clean it up." Carol bent to start picking up the broken plate.

"Stop, please?" Daryl said. His voice had changed this time, it was softer and it wasn't a demand it was a request. That caught her attention and Carol stood up. She set the two shards of ceramic on the counter and sucked in a deep breath, willing herself not to cry.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just… being back here… knowing, no… hoping, this will be the last time I ever see this place… It hit me harder than I expected. Cleaning is my defense mechanism." Finally she turned to look at him and the look in his eyes struck her - it was clear empathy. What had happened to him that he understood what she was going through?

"I'm sorry I snapped at ya," he replied, looking genuine.

Carol nodded. "Okay, give me 10 minutes and I'll have everything I need." Daryl handed her the backpack and she took off. Going up the staircase was hard and she felt the anxiety grip her with each step. She had felt the sharp pain of every stair edge slamming into various parts of her body as she tumbled down. There were still bruises on her back, thighs, stomach and face to remind her of the ordeal. Carol found the strength somewhere inside her to rush up the flight and quickly get everything she needed from her room. The bedroom was every bit as disgusting as the rest of the house. Dirty clothes and dirty dishes were everywhere. Empty chip bags were on the floor and a pizza box was in the middle of the bed.

She started throwing things into the backpack and by the time she added her purse at the end it was already full. Carol fought with the zipper and then slung the pack over her shoulder. "Done," she announced, quickly putting distance between herself and the landing of the stairs where she was in and out of consciousness.

By that point she just needed to get out of the house so she headed straight for the door. Daryl got the bike ready and they just started to put on their helmets when she remembered something. "Shit, I gotta go back in," Carol announced. "I have a stash of cash I forgot to grab." Daryl took the pack and she raced back inside. She had been hoarding cash for years. A few dollars here and there. It was a little security blanket she had made for herself. She would lay in bed dreaming of a day she would find the courage to take the cash and run. The last time she counted it there was over $4000. She would keep changing her goal every time she chickened out. The last time she said when she got to $5000 she would get away.

Carol went into the spare room and climbed up into the closet. She reached way into the back and found the shoebox. She pulled it out and opened it, then grabbed the wad of cash. She had recently made a trip to the bank without Ed knowing and exchanged the small bills for $100s. So the wad was much smaller than it had been before.

Carol shoved it into her pocket and took off down the stairs once again. As she neared the bottom she heard angry voices and she was gripped with panic. "Get your fucking hands off me, you piece of biker trash." Ed. He was here. How? Why? "Carol? Where the fuck are you, you goddamn whore? You're fucking gang members?" There was a loud bang as the door slammed open. "Carol?" he screamed.

She froze. She couldn't move. It had been a long time since she'd heard him that angry. Even the day he put her in the hospital he wasn't that mad. And then he appeared, at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at her. "Get down here Bitch."

GEMMA - GEMMA - GEMMA - GEMMA - GEMMA - GEMMA - GEMMA

Gemma hopped up to sit on her desk in front of Nero who was in her chair. She sighed. "Tell me again that I'm doing the right thing."

Nero rolled the chair closer and leaned forward, resting his arms on her thighs. He looked up at her. "You're doing the right thing, Mama. But talk to me, what's got you so nervous?"

"We're taking a wife away from her abusive, possessive husband. He's not going to sit back and allow that without a fight," Gemma said. "If she sticks around Charming, eventually he will find out where she is…"

"And the club will have to deal with him," Nero finished for her. "You know I ain't one to suggest murdering random citizens, but I ain't gonna feel bad if the guys take out scum like Carol's husband."

"I won't feel bad either," Gemma admitted. "But it's just one more thing to pile on the club, ya know?"

"She worth it?" Nero asked. Gemma looked down at him, into his beautiful chocolate brown eyes. He was so wise and non judgemental. She could admit anything to him and he always understood. But the question he'd just asked, well, it was the only one that mattered.

Gemma nodded and she smiled at him. "Yeah Baby, I believe she is." 


	4. Chapter 4

"Get down here now you stupid bitch." Like an obedient dog she started to walk down the stairs towards him, even though she knew exactly what was coming. As Carol got closer she saw Ed start to draw his hand back. You don't have to do this, a voice screamed in her head, but it didn't stop her feet from moving. It was habit. He called her and she went because the beating was a lot worse if she disobeyed. One more step forward and she was within striking distance. Kick him. Hit him. Shove him. She always thought those same things, but she'd never been in a position where she could fight back.

Ed lifted his hand and just as he went to strike her Carol blocked the hit. And that's when all hell broke loose. Out of nowhere Daryl charged like a bull. Carol had to jump out of the way as Ed's body went flying towards the stairs with Daryl landing on top of him. She stood back and watched the scene unfold before her. Daryl was beating the shit out of Ed and… she didn't want him to stop.

The guilt was immense. How could she possibly want another human being to die? This is the man who beat you, broke your bones, dislocated your shoulder and most recently almost killed you and left you alone to die, she reminded herself. The guilt eased. But then it returned with a vengeance - how could she let the weight of killing someone land on Daryl's shoulders? He had nothing to do with this situation - not by choice anyway. No, she couldn't let that happen.

"Daryl, Daryl… Stop," she said loudly. It wasn't until she reached for his shoulder and tugged that he paid attention to her. "Please, let's just go, okay?" Carol pleaded. "He's not worth it."

"But you are," Daryl mumbled, before looking back at Ed with rage. "You come near her… you touch her… you even so much as look in her direction and I'll kill you," Daryl seethed, getting to his feet. Ed's face was bloody and turning purple already. He was groaning in pain, but Carol knew he would survive.

"Come on," Carol whispered. "Please?"

Daryl nodded and they turned to leave. "Fuck you. Biker scum." Ed's words made Daryl freeze in his tracks. Carol reached for his hand and held it for a moment. He didn't make a move in either direction, just stood there, with her hand in his. Finally Carol gave a light tug and they continued to walk towards the door. "Slut," Ed yelled. This time she tightened her grip on Daryl's hand and he resisted for a moment.

"Let's go," she said calmly and he listened. When they were outside by the bike Carol let go. "Thank you," she said softly. "I'm sorry that happened. I don't know why he was home… he should be at work."

"I shoulda killed him," Daryl seethed as he put on his helmet. Carol knew that Daryl had never intended on killing Ed. There was a gun in his waistband. If he wanted to kill Ed he would have pulled the gun, but he didn't. He left in where it was, didn't even threaten with it, so there was no chance he would lose his temper and use it. She respected that decision. Carol was pretty certain it wasn't a moral decision. If Ed needed to die Daryl wouldn't hesitate. But he believed that a good beating and a threat would keep Ed away - death wasn't necessary. It was a relief to her to know that the people she now found herself with didn't just kill people because they could.

"You did the right thing," Carol reassured him. She didn't know him well and she couldn't even pretend to understand the kind of life he lived, but she saw the look after she offered the compliment - it was like a puppy dog who just got a treat. She guessed that Daryl didn't often get praised and decided she would make sure he did whenever he deserved it. He needed someone who believed in him - maybe if he had that he wouldn't be where he was, she thought. As hard as it was to think badly of people who had very likely saved her life, Carol was pretty sure no one would chose the dangerous life of a criminal unless they felt there was no other place for them. So what about her? Is this the kind of life she wanted? She didn't really have a choice right then - but what about when she did?

She watched Daryl get the bike started and she felt an attraction to him. It wasn't just the fact that he was sexy and had the whole bad boy persona going on. Yeah, that was intriguing and exciting, but what really drew her to him was what was inside. In the short time she'd known him she had already determined that he's fiercely loyal, he has a strong work ethic, and he was a protector. As crazy as it seemed… she couldn't help but want to get to know him better.

Even with everything that had just happened Carol enjoyed the ride back. He drove slow like he promised he would, which was probably a good idea since the backpack made her a little off balance. One day though, she wanted to hit the open road, hold on tight and just let him drive. The feeling of freedom was addicting and she craved it because it's something she'd never known.

When they returned to the club Carol noticed the knuckles on Daryl's right hand were bruised, swollen and bleeding a bit. "You need to get those cleaned up," she said, reaching for his hand to get a better look.

"I'm fine," Daryl snapped. She gave him a look. "Really, I'll be okay," he added in a more gentle tone.

"Just let me fix up your hand, please? It's the least I can do since it's my fault in the first place," Carol replied.

"Ain't your fault," Daryl said quickly. "That's all on the fucker you're married to." Something flashed in his eyes. Yeah, there was anger… but there was something else she couldn't quite place. It was almost like a hint of jealousy. But that didn't make any sense. Daryl took a deep breath, "Tara keeps a bag of supplies in Gem's office." Carol smiled. Maybe he wasn't as stubborn as she thought. Or maybe he already knew she would out stubborn him anyday.

They headed for Gemma's office and walked in the open door. "What the hell happened?" she asked, standing up. She hadn't even seen Daryl's hand yet and she knew. Carol admired her intuitiveness. "Jesus Christ," she muttered when she finally did see his hand.

"You have supplies in here?" Carol asked, setting down the backpack. Gemma nodded and got out a medical kit. While she set to work on cleaning up Daryl's hand they told Gemma what had happened. "I'm so sorry," Carol said, looking up at her new friend. "I can't figure out why he was home. He wasn't supposed to be home."

"And now he knows exactly where you are," Gemma sighed. 

"Oh shit…" Carol hadn't even clued in to the fact that Ed would know where to find her now. "I don't think he'll come looking," she said. "Daryl threatened him… I don't… know…" If Ed was desperate who knew what he would do. He was crazy and extremely possessive. And he likely had the idea that her and Daryl were together… Carol didn't want to admit that there was a chance Ed might do something stupid.

"I'll keep her safe," Daryl said, looking at his bandaged up hand, making a fist and opening it again.

Carol couldn't help but smile and Gemma rolled her eyes. "Jax'll be ready to head out soon. You better go," she told him. When Daryl was gone she turned to Carol, "Listen… Nero and I were talking last night… his Uncle has a farm, it's up in Norco. No one would ever find you out there."

Carol was struck with a sense of panic that she didn't quite understand - there were so many feelings she didn't understand lately. Gemma was offering her a place to live, maybe even a place she could make a new life for herself, start fresh. It was something she had dreamed of for years. But now… she couldn't imagine leaving. "But Nero offered me a job," she blurted out. "He needs someone to do the books at Diosa. I'm supposed to start on Monday."

"Nero can find someone else baby," Gemma said softly. Her voice was so soothing when she needed it to be.

"But I want to do it," Carol protested. "Ed wouldn't let me work. I've always wanted to."

"You could settle in on the farm and we could help you find something up in Norco," Gemma offered. "Don't you want to get away from here? Away from Charming and all the bad shit you've been through?"

Carol thought for a moment. But the one thing that kept coming back to her was how good it felt to have people that cared about her. These people didn't even know her but they had offered her so much kindness and protection. That sweet girl Lyla that worked at Diosa and helped her pick out clothes. Nero who was offering her a job and who was so kind and gentle. Jax, Chibs and that weird guy… Tig, they were all so friendly and welcoming. And Gemma of course, Carol admired her strength and confidence. She knew she had it in her to be like that someday, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to learn from someone who had it mastered. Finally, Daryl - no one had ever protected her and stood up for her like he had from the moment he was given the task. She wanted to know him. She felt some kind of connection but she didn't understand it yet - she needed to understand it.

"Shit, it's Daryl isn't it?" Gemma said, bringing Carol out of her thoughts. "That smile earlier… the hesitation to leave…" Carol didn't confirm it, but she didn't deny it either. "Oh Sweetheart - you don't want this life."

"Why not?" Carol protested. "Look at you, you're happy. You have Nero and the two of you are… so damn cute." Gemma's face softened. "Why wouldn't I want that?"

"Nero is… he's different," Gemma replied. "He's done the gang thing, he's been a thug, he's put in his time and he's ready to get out." There was a sadness in her eyes that Carol didn't understand. "But you weren't here before him… you didn't see what it was like when I was Clay's old lady. It ain't easy baby. It's so hard. I still deal with it every time Jax rides off and I don't know for sure he's gonna come back in one piece, or come back at all."

The anxiety hit her hard and Carol felt panicked. "Where they're going today… it is… it is dangerous?"

"Oh Sweetheart," Gemma replied, nodding her head. "It's always dangerous."


	5. Chapter 5

"Uh, Gemma…" Carol whispered as they walked across the parking lot, back to her office after grabbing a late breakfast. "What happened to his hands?"

Gemma chuckled. How many times had she heard that question before? And how fun was it to watch people's expressions when she told them why Chucky only had his index fingers left on his hands. "The Chinese cut off his fingers. Rival gang."

"Oh God," Carol gasped. "Wa… was he tortured?"

"Nope," Gem shook her head. "Chucky was a compulsive masterbator. Fucker had his hand down his pants all day long. Jerked it non stop," she said, adding the hand motion to hammer home her point.

Carol looked mortified, and then she narrowed her eyes, "You're joking, right? You're testing to see how naive I am."

Gem laughed. "No Sweetheart, I swear on my son's life it's the truth."

"Really?" Carol said, starting to smile. Gemma nodded. "Oh my god," she snorted. "That's horrible and I don't know why I'm laughing… he's such a sweet guy."

Gem sucked in a breath, "I'll be honest, if the Chinese hadn't done it - I would have." They both laughed and she looked at the pretty woman walking beside her. Gem didn't really have girlfriends. Women were so damn annoying to her most of the time. She put up with the ones that were family, but generally she surrounded herself with male friends - most of which were in the club, other than Wayne. There was something different about Carol though. Gemma liked her. From the moment she decided she wanted to help this woman she'd felt a strange connection to her. At first she'd thought it was just the abuse, knowing she'd been there herself with Clay, but now Gemma was sure it was something more. It was like fate had brought Carol into her life and was challenging her to figure out why.

"You didn't each much, " Gem commented after they sat down.

"Yeah… just a bit, uh… nervous," she said, looking out the window.

"They'll be back soon," Gemma replied, knowing that Carol was worrying about Daryl.

"How do you do it?" Carol asked, looking at her with those intense blue eyes, so full of emotion. "I mean, I barely know him… How do you do it when you're in love with a man who could die any day?"

"You gotta be strong," Gemma said, thinking of some of the family she'd lost over the years. "It never gets easier, but you learn how to cope. You stay busy and you don't think about all the things that could go wrong." As she was talking Nero pulled up in her SUV and started walking into the office. "And when they come home, when you're together - you love them, you love them every chance you get." Nero was standing in the doorway. He pushed his sunglasses up on his head and smiled at her. Gemma walked over to him and proved her point with a long, tender kiss. "Don't waste a second," she added, looking at Carol. "That's how you do it."

"They ain't back yet?" Nero asked. Gemma shook her head.

"Should they have been?" Carol blurted, looking even more nervous.

"Nah," Nero said, taking a seat beside Carol on the couch. He patted her knee. "Nothing to worry about. They'll be back soon. It was just a meeting." The roar of bikes in the distance caught their attention. "See?" he added, smiling at her.

Gemma looked out and her heart started to pound. "Shit." Tara was outside, holding her medical bag. That was never a good sign. "Someone's hurt," Gemma said, running outside. Nero and Carol were on her heels. "Tara? Tara? Who is it?" Gem called out, running over to her daughter in law.

"Daryl," Tara said quickly.

"No…" Carol said, tears springing to her eyes. Nero quickly put an arm around her and looked sadly at Gemma.

"Oh gosh, no, it's nothing major," Tara said. "He's going to be fine - but it's his gun hand, and he got another in the vest."

"The vest?" Carol asked, wiping tears away.

"Kevlar," Nero explained. "Bullet proof. The guys wear them sometimes."

"Here they come," Tara announced as several bikes and a van came in the drive.

"Give us a second," Gemma said to Nero, nodding towards Carol. "Oh and once he's fixed up - cabin. Can you take them?" Nero nodded.

"Cabin?" Carol asked, as Nero followed Tara to meet the guys.

"Yep," Gem nodded. "I'm sending Daryl up to the cabin until his hand is healed enough to shoot again." She knew Daryl would insist that he could shoot just fine left handed, but her decision to send him up there served a dual purpose. "You're gonna go up there with him. Take care of his hand, change bandages and stuff," she informed Carol.

She nodded eagerly. "Okay, I can look after him."

"And… it will keep you hidden from your crazy ex for a while too," Gemma added.

Carol sighed. "Makes sense," she agreed. As much as Gemma didn't want Daryl hurt it was actually a bit of a blessing. It would get Carol away for a while for one thing. It would also test her on whether being with a guy like Daryl was something she could handle. "Can I go see him?" she asked.

"I'll go in and check on him first and as soon as Tara has him patched up he's all yours," Gem said with a smile. "Come on, we'll go wait inside."

DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL

He wasn't sure what hurt worse, the hole in his hand or the bruise on his chest. He wasn't even going to wear the damn vest but Jax said he didn't get to make that decisions since he was still a prospect. The bruise was right over his heart - without the vest he would be dead.

People were talking and Tara was working on his hand, but Daryl wasn't listening to any of them. He was actually looking for Carol. What was she going to think? He was supposed to be protecting her and he couldn't even look after himself. She wasn't going to feel safe with him watching her. He was nervous to see the disappointed look on her face, so he felt relieved that she wasn't there.

Once Tara was finished stitching she gave him two pills. "Pain killer and an antibiotic," she said, handing him a glass of water. Daryl took the pills, popped them in his mouth and washed them down with some water. "Make sure you change the gauze anytime you see any discharge, and take the oxy for pain and the antibiotic 3 times a day." She handed him two pill bottles.

The room cleared slowly, with lots of jokes and teasing as the guys left. Gemma approached him. "Nero's taking you up to the cabin until you can shoot with that hand."

"Gem," he protested. "I can just use my left hand for now."

"I'm sending Carol with you. I tried to talk her into going out to Norco and staying at Nero's uncle's farm, but she wouldn't go. That asshole knows she's with us - she needs to hide out for a bit," Gemma explained. "She thinks she's going to take care of you - so let her, got it?" Daryl nodded. He learned quickly that you don't argue with Gemma. It never gets you anywhere and she could get really scary sometimes.

As much as he didn't want to go hideout the idea was a lot more appealing knowing it would be him and Carol, alone. There was something really interesting about her and Daryl couldn't deny the attraction he felt. She was beautiful, sexy but classy. And she was so different from any of the women he'd encountered since joining the club.

"She wants to see you. Can she come in now?" Gemma asked.

Daryl felt his heart start to beat quicker. He was still worried she was going to think he was a failure. "Sure," he replied. What other choice did he have anyway?

He waited, trying to control the butterflies in his tummy. He wasn't expecting what happened when she came in the room. She ran to him and hugged him, hard. "Ouch," Daryl mumbled, wishing he hadn't said anything when she pulled away quickly.

"I'm sorry. Oh God, look at that bruise," she touched his chest lightly with her fingertips. Daryl shivered, he couldn't help it. Her fingers on his bare skin felt good. She placed her hand flat on his heart and looked at him. There was both fear and relief in her eyes. He knew his heart was pounding and he knew she could feel it. "I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered. Daryl saw her eyes slowly fill with tears and watched one make it way halfway down her cheek before she removed her hand from his heart to brush it away.

That's when he finally clued in - she was scared because of him. She had been worried about him and the tears were for him. She wasn't mad at him or disappointed in him at all. Daryl wondered if he was already high from the oxy or something. Clearly there was something strange going on. He had yet to speak to her and she was starting to look uncomfortable. "I guess, um… I guess I'll leave you alone."

Carol turned to go. "No. Please stay," he blurted out. He hadn't meant to make things weird, but he was still in shock that she wasn't disappointed in him or questioning his ability to watch out for her. "Sorry, I think I'm just a little fuzzy from the drugs."

"Does it still hurt?" she asked. "We kinda match now," Carol added with a laugh, pulling down the front of her shirt, just enough that he could see her chest was bruised too. It made him angry to see it because he knew where it came from. The bruises on her face had faded a lot, but they were still visible too.

Once again he didn't know how to reply, but he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable or want to leave again so he said the first thing that came to mind. "Gemma said you're coming to the cabin?"

Carol nodded. "I'm not sure who is supposed to be taking care of who, but yeah, sounds like it's gonna be just the two of us for a while."

"Yep, just the two of us…" he replied, trying not to blush and give away the impure thoughts that were raging in his mind. She's still married, he reminded himself. Not that it had ever bothered him before, but it might matter to her and he had to respect that. You are getting way ahead of yourself here, Daryl thought. He really didn't know if she was even interested in him in that way. Her loser husband could have made her swear off men for an eternity for all he knew.

"Guess we'll have lots of time to… uh… get to know each other," she said. Daryl was sure he caught a tinge of pink in her cheeks and whether it was intentional or not her words had come out very suggestive.

"Okay, let's hit the road," Nero said, saving Daryl from having to respond.

"I'm just gonna go pack some things," Carol said excusing herself.

Daryl got his shirt and leather vest back on and then quickly grabbed a few things of his own and tossed them in a duffel bag. An hour later they were at the cabin and Nero was kicking up dust as he drove off in Gem's SUV.

"Well we're here," Daryl muttered, dropping his bag on the floor.

"Yep, we're here," Carol echoed, setting her bag down, then turning to face him.

They looked at each other for a moment and Daryl was worried this was going to be an epic disaster, but then Carol laughed and within seconds he started laughing too. Her eyes sparkled and loved the sound of her laughter. They both knew they were being ridiculous and it instantly made him relax to see her looking so free. "Come on," Carol said. "Let's go see what's in the fridge for lunch." Daryl's stomach rumbled as he followed her, unable to keep his eyes off her ass as her hips swayed in front of him. It was either going to be one hell of a getaway or days and days of sexual frustration and torture. 


	6. Chapter 6

"What's wrong?" Gemma asked Nero. He hadn't answered or even acknowledged her last two questions, which was unlike him. He was always very attentive when she talked, even when she talked a lot.

"There's a car tailing us," he said.

"What?" Gemma said, resisting the urge to turn around and look at who was behind them. "Are you sure?"

Nero nodded. "He's trailed me a few times, but only when I drive this." They were in her SUV on their way back home from the cabin. They went up that morning to take more food and supplies for Carol and Daryl - and make sure they were getting on alright. It was quite evident that the two of them were doing just fine. Gemma wondered if they were sleeping together yet or not - it was clear they were both interested and rather smitten.

"What should we do?" Gemma asked. "Try to lose him?"

"Nah," Nero shook his head. "Call Jax. Ask him to send Happy and Juice. Tell them there's a dark blue car, likely a Corolla, following us. Once they are with us we're gonna trap this chingado and see why he's following us."

"Oh goody, I woke up this morning thinking that I would really like to get into a car chase and go all thug on someone's ass," Gemma drawled sarcastically.

"Oh come on Mama, we still need a little excitement at our age," Nero teased.

Gem grabbed her cell and started to dial. "Yeah, but with our heart issues let's not get too crazy," she laughed. When Jax answered the call she told him what was going on and he said Happy and Tig were on the way. Juice was busy.

15 minutes later they were pulled over on the side of the road and Tig had the man out of his car. "Hey… easy," Nero warned him, playing the 'good guy.' "Give him some space, we just wanna talk." The man looked scared. "We just want to know why you're following us," Nero said to him. "You tell us what we want to know, you're free to go. You yank our chain, lie to us… Well, we'll just leave you to these two," he said, gesturing to Tig and Happy.

"I'm a P.I.," the man replied quickly. "I'm trying to locate a missing person for my client."

Gemma was pretty sure she knew who the client was. "Who you working for?" she asked.

"I can't tell you," he protested. Nero motioned for Tig and before he could take a step the man gave in. "Ed. Ed Peletier is his name. His wife is missing and he asked me to find her."

Gemma and Nero shared a look. She nodded and Nero turned on his gangster mode. He grabbed the man around the neck and slammed him up against the car. No more good guy. "You will drop this client immediately. And you tell him nothing. You got it?" he said viciously.

"I… It's too late," the man got out, with Nero choking him. "I followed you to that cabin this morning, saw her… sent him the location about an hour ago…" With a sick feeling growing inside her Gemma watched Nero let the man go. How did they miss being followed up to the damn cabin? There were long stretches of empty road, they should have noticed… Then Gemma remembered what they'd been doing on the way up there and she felt sick with guilt. Once they were off the main roads they must have been far too caught up in each other to notice the tail. "He asked me to keep an eye on you guys… while he heads up to the cabin…"

"Fuck," Gemma hissed. "We gotta get up there. Now."

"You two keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't call anyone," Nero instructed the guys. "We'll head up there now and call Jax for backup on the way." The two of them were already running for the vehicle. Nero peeled away and Gemma dialed Jax again, praying in her head that they wouldn't be too late.

CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL

Carol was in the bathroom, smiling at her reflection in the mirror. She looked happy - truly happy. She hadn't seen her eyes so bright in a very long time. It made her feel beautiful. The new clothes didn't hurt either. She had been wishing she had a few more outfits so she didn't have to recycle the ones she'd brought quite so often and that morning Gemma had brought her a bunch more. She had other things too, more comfortable clothes, but the tight shirts and low cut necklines made her feel sexy and it was nice.

Of course she wanted to feel sexy around Daryl too. They were getting along extremely well, though so far nothing physical had happened between them. It wasn't that she didn't want him and Carol was pretty sure he wanted her too, but there was something holding him back. She decided it had to be the fact that she was still legally married, which surprised her. She assumed his type didn't care too much about such formalities, but maybe she was wrong and maybe she still had a lot to learn about "his type."

The one thing Carol did know is that she wanted to learn. She knew that it would be a dangerous way of life, but she wanted it. She saw the way they pulled together, the way they cared for each other - not a family by blood, but by circumstance. Carol wanted that - badly. They were already treating her like she was one of them and she was a nobody. She had brought nothing but problems, yet they stood by her and protected her - especially Gemma and Daryl, Nero too. Everyone she had met had treated her like an old friend and for someone who didn't really have any friends it was magical.

It had been really nice to see Nero and Gemma that morning. They brought a ton of groceries and the fridge was fully stocked again. Carol could tell that Daryl was getting a bit stir crazy and she had suggested they go for a walk in the woods after she showered. She was just about to head out and see if he was ready when she heard mumbled voices. At first she wondered if Gemma and Nero had returned, but the voices got louder and a chill ran through her blood. "She ain't here," Daryl said loudly.

"I know she is you fucking biker scum. Tell me where to find her or I'll shoot you." Ed. Ed was here. He'd found them. How? Carol couldn't breathe. Daryl had been lying in bed when she left him and she was pretty sure his gun was still on the table in the living room. He had kept it by his side for the first couple days, but they didn't expect anyone would find them there and the longer they went still safe he'd got a little more lax with the weapon. He was going to feel like shit, she knew it.

But what could she do? Carol started to pace. She had to help. She had to make sure Ed didn't kill Daryl. She knew Daryl would sacrifice himself to keep her safe because that's what he was supposed to do - keep her safe. She didn't allow herself to wonder if it was more than just his job that would have him sacrifice himself - it wasn't the time to think about that.

If she went out the bathroom door there was no way she could get past the bedroom to the living room without Ed seeing her. But if she could somehow come in the front of the cabin she could grab Daryl's gun…She eyed the tiny bathroom window. Could she squeeze out of it? Carol scrambled up onto the sink counter and started working on getting the glass panes out. If there was one thing she knew it was how to remove windows - and clean them. In a matter of seconds she was looking at an open hole. She poked her head out and wiggled her shoulders through… no this wasn't going to work, she needed to get out feet first… she tried again and her hips kept getting stuck, but with one final push she made it, scraping her back hard as she dropped to the ground. 

"Oh God," she moaned under her breath, feeling the sting of the scrape. It's nothing, you've had way worse, Carol told herself as she sucked in a deep breath and ran towards the front of the cabin. 

She slipped quietly inside. She could hear Ed screaming at Daryl and Daryl trying to talk him down, while maintaining that Carol wasn't there. The gun was right there on the coffee table where she knew it would be. She picked it up. It felt so heavy in her hand. She didn't know much about guns, but she did know there was a safety that she needed to take off. Carol found it and clicked it - the gun was ready to fire.

Could she do this? Could she be strong and brave enough to get Ed to drop his weapon? All she had to do was get the gun away from him and Daryl would take over. Even with the hand he would easily take care of Ed. She crept slowly towards the room. Should she slip in? Or come in loud and demanding? She had no fucking idea. Stop thinking so much and just react, Carol told herself.

"Put the gun down Ed," she said icily, stepping right up to him and resting the barrel of the gun against his temple. Her voice shook and she hoped she was the only one that noticed. He turned slightly and glared at her and then looked back at Daryl briefly, as if to say he knew Carol was there. Even with the gun right to his head he clearly didn't see her as a threat.

"You're not gonna shoot me," Ed sneered with a laugh, his gun still pointed at Daryl. "But I'm gonna shoot your little boy toy here."

"No, you're not," Carol said calmly. "You're going to drop the gun on the floor and kick it to Daryl or I swear to God I will blow your brains out." She couldn't believe the viciousness in her own voice. It didn't even sound like her.

Ed laughed. "All these years I've beat the shit out of you and not once have you ever hit me back. Not once have you fought me off. You don't have the guts to pull that trigger. You're a weak little mouse." He was taunting her. She had the upper hand and he still refused to believe she would hurt him. Carol wasn't even sure if she could pull the trigger or not, but she needed him to believe she could. She took the gun off his head, aimed at nothing and fired. The shot echoed through the room and both men looked shocked.

"Next bullet goes through your head," Carol said, putting the gun back. Ed flinched. The barrel was likely warm, maybe even hot. She was probably burning him, but she didn't care. "Drop the gun Ed, now."

With the gun still on Daryl Ed turned and faced her so the barrel was on his forehead. He was completely focussed on her, paying no attention to Daryl, other than holding the gun in place. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. "No," Carol gasped. Everything was happening in slow motion. She heard the shot and instantly her finger squeezed the trigger, sending a second shot ringing through her head. "No… No… No..." she kept repeating over and over and over again. At her feet the two men were tangled together. Daryl had leapt at him. But Ed had fired. And so had she. There was blood. So much blood. Carol felt the gun fall from her hand and she only took two steps backwards before her legs gave out. There was blood. She'd slipped in blood. Carol lifted her hand, wet and sticky with thick, warm liquid. She looked at the red, dripping... But… whose blood was it?


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: I have had a few requests to continue this one so I'm going to do my best to complete it. Thank you all so much for reading and for being patient with me as I work through my stuff and thangs. Hope you all have a great week._

 **Chapter 7**

"Fuck," Nero hissed, quickly stopping and shoving Gemma behind him. They had just burst into the cabin when they heard the gunshot echo through the place. He already had his gun drawn, ready for action. "Get outside," he whispered, nudging her. "Hide behind the truck and stay down." As much as she wanted to just stay with him, her own weapon was in her purse in the SUV and she knew Nero would only protest. Besides, Jax would be there any minute for backup.

"Wait for Jax?" she whispered back. He shook his head and nudged her again, mouthing "go."

Gemma quickly crept outside and ran for the far side of her vehicle. She crouched down and in a matter of seconds she heard bikes approaching. Jax had arrived with a couple of others. Chibs saw her hiding and quickly drew his gun. Jax followed suit and they ran inside while Bobby came over to make sure she was fine. "There was one shot, right when we got here," she whispered.

He nodded and started to head inside when Nero appeared in the doorway. "Gem, quick," he yelled to her. "It's Carol," he said as she jogged over. "No, no - she's fine," he explained obviously noticing the fear on her face. "Physically she's fine… but she's a mess Gem, she needs you. Her husband is dead - Carol shot him and she's freaking out."

Gemma heard Carol sob and she ran for the room. There was blood. A lot of blood. Carol was covered in it and Daryl was holding her, trying to console her. "I didn't mean to - I didn't - I'm so sorry -" she sobbed. It was heartbreaking to watch, but Gemma had seen it far too many times in her life.

"C'mere Sweetheart," she said, taking Carol's hand. Carol looked at her with surprise, as if she hadn't noticed that the room was full of people until that very moment. "Come with me, okay?" Gemma said gently. "Let's get you out of this room and get you cleaned up."

"Okay," Carol whispered, clearly in complete shock. "Gemma? I didn't mean to. You believe me right? It was an accident. Daryl? Daryl? He's okay right?" Carol turned back but when she did she saw the body on the floor again. "Oh God, oh God, oh God… I think I'm going to throw up." Carol was a rambling mess and so confused. Gem got her to the bathroom just in time and rubbed her back while she heaved into the toilet, emptying everything from her stomach. When the dry heaves started Gemma talked her through it.

"Someone get me some water," she yelled. Jax appeared moments later with a glass of cold water. "Thanks baby." Gemma continued to rub Carol's back. "Hey, shhh, it's going to be okay. Deep breaths… can you try a sip of water?" Carol lifted her head meekly and nodded. Gem handed her the glass and she took a sip. Gemma flushed the toilet and put down the lid for Carol to sit. After she had a few sips of water and started to calm down a little Gemma spoke, "Listen, this was an accident okay?" At that point Gem really didn't know if it was truly an accident or not, but judging by Carol's reaction and the fact that the jealous bastard came after Carol she was pretty sure it was clearly self defense. "Jax and the boys will take care of it. No cops."

"Wha...what? But I murdered a man… I murdered my husband… Oh God…" Tears started to stream down her face again.

"Trust me Sweetheart, it's just better if he disappears and you don't end up involved in a trial. You didn't do anything wrong, there's nothing to feel guilty about. You know he would have killed you - or Daryl, if you didn't stop him. You're a hero." Gemma wasn't completely forthcoming with her. It was also better for the club to not be involved in this mess and to keep the cops from sniffing around. But it really was better for Carol too. It likely would have been a open and shut case of self defense, but there was always the chance the DA could find reason to prosecute her.

"Daryl… he's okay right?" she asked meekly. "Ed… he had a gun pointed at Daryl's… he was going to kill him…" Terror flashed in her crystal blue eyes. "I threatened him, said I would kill him… then… then…" she closed her eyes like she was trying to remember what happened. "There was movement and I pulled the trigger and blood… all I remember after that was blood… I didn't know whose blood…" Clearly she was too distraught to remember that Daryl had been hugging her and he was just fine.

"Daryl is fine," Gemma nodded. "He's fine."

The change in Carol as the words sank in was shocking. She sucked in a breath, wiped the tears off her face and blew her nose with some toilet paper. "Good. Okay, so what's the plan?" The fear was gone from her eyes and she had regained her composure completely. It was like she shock had instantly worn off and she was calm.

"Are you… are you okay?" Gem asked slowly.

"I'm fine now, I promise," Carol nodded. Gemma continued to stare at her, trying to decide if this was just a different stage of her shock or what. "I'm really good at adapting quickly," Carol said. "I've spent my life with a man who beat me and I never knew what would set him off, but one thing that always did was when I showed fear or cried. He hated it when I was soft and he would just beat me harder. I learned to get over things quickly." Carol shrugged, "If nothing else he made me tough I guess." There was actually the hint of a smile. "Gemma, I really am okay now. And I'm actually kinda pissed at myself for freaking out like that. It just happened so fast." Gem stayed quiet and let her talk as long as she wanted to. "Don't get me wrong, I still feel awful for killing him and I know that moment will haunt me for a long time. I'll probably cry over it more often than I would like, but right now I know we need to take care of things, clean up this mess I've put you guys in and I want to help however you need me to."

Gem nodded slowly. She really did seem to be fine, but it was hard to trust such a quick and complete change in mood. "You just need to change, maybe have a quick shower too and get that blood off you. The boys will take the bloody clothes and burn them. I'll make sure the room is cleaned up too." She was thinking out loud as she spoke. "You and Daryl should stay up here like planned though - if you think you're okay to be here…" Carol gave her a nod. "Okay, so just get cleaned up, I'll bring in a change of clothes and take the stained stuff away." Gemma left Carol in the bathroom and headed to find Nero before she got Carol some new clothes.

"She okay?" he asked in deep concern.

"Yeah," Gemma muttered, still not quite able to process Carol's change in mood. "She's actually fine."

"Really?" Nero looked just as confused as she'd been.

"Yeah… it was so strange… she went from crying and freaking out to calm and she says she's fine… and… I believe her," Gemma said. "She's tough. Way tougher than I would have ever given her credit for. " She looked up at Nero. "She's tougher than me. She's a badass."

"No one is tougher than you, Mama," Nero replied, leaning down to kiss the tip of her nose. Gem smiled at the compliment. "I'm glad she's okay though. I was so worried this might break her and she would want far away from all of this."

"I worried that too," Gemma agreed. "But, oh Lord here I go again with this soft side… I think her and Daryl might have something special." She glanced over to where Daryl was pacing as she spoke. "They show so much concern for each other and you can see the spark between them." Gem sighed. "What has got into me with this damn cupid thing?"

Nero placed his hands on her hips, "It's always been there Mama." His voice was soft and it moved over her, washing away the rest of her anxiety. She leaned against him for a moment, allowing herself to enjoy his steady comfort.

"I gotta get Carol some clean clothes," Gemma said with a little sigh. "And get those bloody clothes to the guys to burn." She kissed his cheek. "Can you just make sure he don't wear a hole in the floor?" Nero chuckled and nodded. She watched him wander over to Daryl and then headed to find clothes.

DARYL - DARYL - DARYL - DARYL -DARYL -DARYL -DARYL

"She's fine," Nero announced as he approached. "She's just taking a shower and Gem is getting her clothes. She's good Hermano, she's good." Daryl felt relief wash through him. Carol had been so distraught and he was terrified she was going to completely lose it. He'd seen his share of blood and dead bodies - that didn't phase him anymore, but seeing her that upset was worse than anything he'd experienced in years.

Daryl knew it wasn't going to be easy for her. She hadn't killed just anyone - she'd killed her husband. He also knew that it didn't make it any easier that it was her abuser. As much as victims think about killing the person who was hurting them there was also an unexplainable bond, especially when it was someone you were supposed to love - someone who was supposed to love you. That was something he knew all too well.

The men stepped aside as Chibs and Bobby carried the body out wrapped in a sheet. Jax followed close behind. "There's still a lot of blood on the floor…"

"We'll take care of it," Nero offered.

Daryl nodded in agreement. "Should get it done before Carol's out of the shower." He turned to Jax. "I'm sorry Man… I let my guard down. Won't happen again."

Jax pulled him in for a hug. "You had no idea he was coming. Don't beat yourself up man." Jax shrugged. "At the end of the day we solved what could have ended up an even bigger problem." Daryl knew he was right. Ed could have caused much larger problems for the club if he got the police involved. "Hey, she's family," Jax added. "We take care of family. I trust you'll make sure she's taken care of hmm?" He was grinning at Daryl and then gave him a little shove and laughed. "Come on Romeo. What happened here - it's some fucked up shit - but you move on. You help her move on."

Daryl finally allowed himself to smile back. Just a little grin because he felt guilty to find too much good in the shitty situation. "See ya in a few more days," Daryl replied, before heading into the bedroom to help Nero with the clean up.

He perked up a little while later when he heard Carol's voice in the other room. "Get outta here, go see her," Nero said. "I'll finish up." Daryl handed him the mop and followed the voice.

"Daryl," she sighed, the instant she saw him. "I was so scared he'd hurt you." Before he could reply she was in his arms. The bruise on his chest hurt, but he didn't care. It felt so good to hold her. He hugged her tight and watched as Gemma silently left the room so they could have some privacy.

"You saved my life," he whispered into her ear. Immediately she drew back and looked at him in surprise. "You did. You were incredible and brave." The more he complimented her the more he realized how much she needed to hear that. "If you hadn't showed up with my gun… he would have killed me." Daryl touched her face and watched her eyes soften even more. "I'm so sorry I didn't protect you like I should have." The guilt he felt was immense, but he knew that Carol needed to feel like she'd done the right thing. If she realized she'd killed Ed to save him maybe she could believe that she had made the right decision.

"No, don't say that," she whispered back. Her eyes started to glisten. "I feel safe with you. I can't remember the last time I ever felt safe before. But when I'm with you… I'm not scared." tear trickled down her cheek and he moved it away with his thumb. His heart was beating wildly in his chest. She was looking at his lips and his eyes drifted to hers. Was this the worst time ever to kiss her? Or was it exactly the right time?


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: Awwww you guys are all so sweet with your comments on the last chapter. I'm really glad I picked this one back up again. Just imagining this story while I write it with_

"All do…" Nero started to announce before Gemma shushed him and put a hand on his chest to stop him from leaving the bedroom. She gave a little nod from the doorway and he peeked out and then looked at her with a grin. "You think it's their first kiss?" he whispered, nudging her cheek lightly with his nose as he leaned close to her ear. Gemma nodded, she was sure of it given the hesitation she'd witnessed before their lips finally met.

She looked away and pulled Nero back into the room. "We should get outta here but I don't want to interrupt their first kiss," she sighed.

"Too bad you don't remember our first kiss Mama," he said huskily. "It was hot. So sexy," he groaned.

"I remember," she lied.

But Nero called her on it. "You didn't even know who I was the next morning."

Gemma pouted. "Okay fine, I don't remember the _very_ first one, but the first one I do remember was pretty sexy too."

"They're all sexy with you," he replied, leaning in to prove his point. As usual he made her knees weak and started a burn deep inside her. Nero grabbed her ass and pulled her closer as he slipped his tongue in her mouth.

As much as she wanted to give in and take everything he wanted to give her Gem found an ounce of restraint and pulled back. "Save that for later ok?"

"I won't forget," he teased.

Gemma patted his chest, "I'll hold you to that." She peeked out the door again and saw they were still kissing. "We'll give them a few more minutes," she said. "But we really should get back. I'm sure you're needed at Diosa and I got a shit ton of work to do at TM."

"Yeah, it's already getting dark so it'll be late by the time we're back but I really should check in. I'll drop you off and come pick you up when I'm done. Sound good?" They made plans while they were killing time stuck in the bedroom.

The ringing of a cell phone caught their attention, following by Daryl cussing. "Hello?" Gemma and Nero headed out to the living room, knowing they would no longer be interrupting an intimate moment. "Yeah he's right here, hold on." Daryl looked at Nero and held out the phone. "It's Jax. Said he's tried both your phones a couple times."

Gemma had left her phone in the truck when they pulled up earlier and Nero's was likely on silent. "Hola?" Nero spoke into the phone. "Yep, we're just leaving. I gotta drop your mom at TM and I'll be there." He hung up and handed the phone back to Daryl. "More shit with the Chinese," he explained with a sigh. "Definitely gonna be a late night." He looked over at Gemma and her heart ached for him. There was a weariness in his eyes that scared her. She knew Nero was done with the thug life but teaming with with the club and Jax had brought too much of it back. It was grating on him and Gemma wished so badly she could do something to make it all better.

"You gonna be okay Sweetheart?" Gem asked Carol, stepping closer to give her a hug. Carol nodded and Gemma could see she would be just fine. Carol was one tough cookie. Gem leaned in and kissed her cheek lightly. "Follow your heart," she whispered, before drawing back to give her an encouraging smile. Carol knew exactly what she was talking about and they shared a look. "Make sure he takes care of that hand. I have a feeling Jax and the boys are gonna need him back soon." There was a brief flash of worry on Carol's face, but she covered it quickly.

"And you," she turned to Daryl. "You keep her happy and bring her home safe. Nero just found himself a bookkeeper for Diosa, don't scare her away," she teased him. Gemma grabbed his face and kissed him on the forehead quickly. "Call if you need anything." With that they were gone, headed back towards Charming.

Gemma leaned back in the seat and thought about how incredibly sweet it had been to witness the start of something she knew would be special. Whether they realized it yet or not, Daryl and Carol needed each other. Gem knew in the short time they had known each other that they already balanced one another. Carol was just the kind of woman that a man like Daryl needed and Gemma believed that being with Daryl was going to be a very positive change in Carol's life.

She looked over at Nero's profile and saw the worry etched on his face. She reached out and put a hand on his knee to offer comfort. Without looking away from the road he found her hand, turned it over and interlaced their fingers. They drove the entire way home like that and Gemma allowed herself to believe everything was going to be alright.

 **CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL - CAROL**

After Gemma and Nero left Daryl excused himself to use the bathroom. Carol sunk down onto the couch and thought about what had just happened moments earlier. She felt a giddy excitement inside her that not even the trauma of killing her husband could touch. The way Daryl had been looking at her lips like he wanted to kiss her, the lusty feeling in the air between them… She had waited a while, hoping he would just make the move and kiss her, but he hadn't moved, just stared at her lips.

Eventually Carol had realized that the first move was going to be up to her and in the situation they were in it made perfect sense. She had just shot and killed her husband and Daryl had no idea where her mind was. He was likely afraid he would make things worse by kissing her, complicating an already messy situation. How could he have known that his lips on her was literally the only thing she'd wanted right then? How could he have known that she was seeking comfort in the one person who she could already see firmly in her future? How could he know that going through something so traumatic, with him, made her feel connected to him in a way she'd never known?

It had only took her about 3 seconds of moving her eyes to his lips before she couldn't take it anymore. Luckily she could read him well enough to know it was what he wanted, so when she leaned in and brushed his lips he kissed her back - eagerly.

Carol felt her heart start to pick up pace once again just thinking about how good it had felt. It was difficult not to compare everything to how it had been with Ed, but kissing Daryl was just too magical and beautiful to even waste time measuring with the chaste and forced kisses she'd shared with Ed. She closed her eyes for a moment and let herself remember the feel of his warm lips on hers. For a moment she had completely forgot they weren't alone in the cabin. Carol wondered how far things would have got if Daryl's phone hadn't rang when it did? She felt her cheeks flush at the thought of Gemma and Nero catching them in a heated moment. But then Carol remembered the party… and she realized it likely wouldn't have even phased them one bit.

When she opened her eyes she saw Daryl had returned and was watching her. She met his eye and then patted the seat on the couch beside her. The only thing she was absolutely sure of in that moment was that she wanted him close. "How's your hand?" she asked, lifting it gently to examine the bandages. Everything looked fine.

"Hurts a bit," he admitted.

"Do you want me to get some of those pain pills?" she asked. He shook his head and she was glad because she was enjoying being in his presence again, even if he was only gone a short time. "Daryl? Why didn't you kiss me?" Carol needed to know if her assumption was correct, or if there was another reason she hadn't considered.

"I… uh… Well… with everything that happened… I just didn't know if you'd want that…" he stammered.

"How about before now… the last couple days?" Now that she knew she'd been right she was curious what had held him back before the incident.

Daryl blushed. She loved the way his cheeks got that little bit of color in them when he was embarrassed or shy about something. It was such a wonderful contrast to the bad boy biker image he portrayed and it reminded her that he may have been rough around the edges but he was still soft on the inside. "You're married. You were married…" He corrected himself while giving her an apprehensive look. "I ain't no saint, but there are some lines I don't cross…" He shrugged. "Sounds pretty ridiculous, don't it? I've killed people but draw the line at adultery."

"It's not ridiculous," Carol shook her head. "It's sweet." She reached out and touched his face. "I hope you don't think I'm a terrible person because I would have, because I wanted to."

Daryl gave her a half grin, "Ain't gonna say I would have been able to stop you if you tried." He nuzzled her hand and Carol wasn't sure if he even realized he was doing it. "I just couldn't be the one who started it, ya know?"

"I'm not married now…" Carol whispered, looking up at him with wide blue eyes.

"No… you ain't," he agreed in a soft voice. She held her breath, heart slamming in her chest. This time when his eyes drifted to her lips his body followed and he kissed her. She let her hand drop slowly from his face and rested it on his chest. His heart was beating fast too, just like her own. The kiss was even better than the first one, likely because there were no inhibitions, no distractions - they were all alone and they both knew what they wanted.

Carol quickly shifted into his lap and Daryl helped her into place with his left hand. She was careful not to put too much pressure on his chest knowing it would still be really sore from the bullet impact in the vest. As much as she didn't want to break the kiss he was tugging at the bottom of her shirt so Carol let him pull it off and then moved right back to his lips. He was touching her bare skin with his uninjured hand and she felt a wave of dizziness from the amount of pleasure she was getting just from the grazing of his fingertips.

It was undeniable how much she wanted him. It had been a long time since she'd craved sex in this way because it had never been in her realm of possibilities to be with another man. In all the times she'd dreamt about running away she never let her fantasies get far enough to imagine being with a man other than Ed. Now here she was, in a man's arms, kissing him, feeling his hands on her skin and her hormones were raging, wild and out of control.

Suddenly she couldn't breathe and she pulled back, gasping for air. Everything was happening so fast yet she wanted more and wanted it faster. Somehow she'd completely overwhelmed herself. "You okay?" Daryl asked, looking at her with deep concern. He reached for her back and rubbed gently. Carol flinched and he sat up and spun her. "Jesus, what the hell happened to your back?"

She had forgot all about the scrape she had got climbing out the bathroom window. "It's nothing, just a scratch. I'm okay."

Carol moved back in to kiss him again and Daryl stopped her. "I want you," he said huskily. "I really, really do - so this might be the hardest thing I've ever done… but we should wait." She certainly wasn't expecting that and didn't know what to say. "It's been a fucked up day and you've been through a lot…"

"Daryl, I'm fine - I swear…" she started.

But he stopped her. "I know you are," he agreed. "But I think we need to wait. I don't mean a long time, just sleep on it, ya know?" He was looking at her, hoping she would understand. Carol could tell the last thing he wanted was to hurt her. "If you wanna do this, tonight… right now… if you're absolutely sure… I will. I want to… fuck I want to so bad… and I don't want to upset you… But…" he touched her lips with his thumb. "I ain't never felt like this about a girl... Woman," he corrected himself. His thumb moved along her lip and Carol shivered. "I don't want ya to wake up with regrets."

Carol had tears in her eyes. She knew he was special, but didn't know just how special he really was. "Don't cry, oh fuck… please don't cry. I said if ya really want to…"

"Shhhh," she kissed the pad of his thumb before he moved it away. "I think you're right, we should wait." The relief was instant on his face. "But there is one thing…"

"Anything you need," he whispered.

"Will you hold me tonight? Will you sleep with me and just be there? I want to wake up beside you." Carol held her breath again and hoped she wasn't asking too much. It wasn't going to be easy for either one of them to be so close when they both wanted each other so badly.

"Course, " he replied with a nod. Daryl stood slowly, helping her to her feet. He offered her a hand and she took it. She didn't bother to pick up her shirt before he led her to the bedroom, her bedroom, not the scene of the crime. It was better this way anyway, neither of them had to sleep in that room.

When they got to the room Carol undid her pants and slipped them off, then climbed into bed. She watched while he took off his shirt and pants, then climbed in with her in just his underwear. The image of his body would be burned in her brain and she wondered how the hell she was going to sleep with him so close, questioning her request. But the emotion of everything that had happened was a blessing in disguise. Just having her head on the pillow she was already fighting sleep.

She felt Daryl kiss the scrape on her back. "You were so brave today," he said softly before putting an arm over her and tucking her protectively against him. "Night Carol." She tried so hard to say goodnight back, but she really wasn't sure if she got it out or not before she fell asleep in his arms. 


	9. Chapter 9

_AN: I figured given that this was a special chapter for Caryl that it would be okay to not have any crossover with Gemma and Nero. Hope everyone is okay with that. And I hope you enjoy!_

 __ **Chapter 9**

The next morning when he woke Carol was still sleeping so Daryl gently untangled himself, careful not to wake her and slipped out of bed. He had a boner of epic proportions that she was sure to notice if she woke up so he figured a good cold shower might help take care of it… and if that didn't work, well, he would have to resort to plan B.

It was actually really nice to just hold her all night and it wasn't nearly as difficult as he expected it was going to be, that was until he woke up with raging hormones and morning wood. He turned on the shower, just a little bit of hot, and slipped out of his underwear. Then stepped in without waiting for the hot water to take away some of the icy chilly. "Fuck," he hissed under his breath as the water hit him. It was definitely a good distraction but it wasn't really taking care of his problem like he'd hoped. There was also the issue of trying to keep his injured hand dry and do everything with his nondominant hand. 

Daryl looked down at his dick. "Come on man, really?" It was no use. Every time he thought he was getting somewhere he would think about kissing Carol or how it felt to have her body touching his and he'd be right back to square one. He knew it was the right decision for them to hold off on the sex, but clearly not all of his body agreed with that.

His left hand had just wrapped around his shaft and he gave himself a couple slow strokes when there was a slight draft behind him, causing him to spin. "Carol? Shit… fuck…" Daryl quickly tried to cover himself, feeling his cheeks grow warm. "What… what are you doing?" he muttered foolishly. It was pretty clear what she was doing standing naked in the shower with him.

"Oh my God the water is cold," she gasped, reaching around him to warm it up. "There, that's better." Carol stepped back a bit and looked at him, then slowly reached out and nudged his hands. Daryl let his arms drop to his side so he was fully exposed and he watched her smile. It was game on. While her eyes wandered over his body he did the same with her. She had beautiful curves and he could wait to run his hands over her body. He fought off the anger from the dark bruises he could see on her skin. Soon they would fade and all traces of the physical abuse she'd suffered would be gone. The emotional scars would remain though, he knew that all too well, but he hoped he would be there to help her through it all.

When he couldn't take simply looking at her any longer he bent his head and took one of her nipples into his mouth. He rested his left hand on the curve of her hip and felt her hands on his head. Dammit he wanted her, so badly. He knew he could press her against the wall or just bend her over and take her right there in the shower, but Daryl didn't want their first time together to be so quick and dirty. Carol was special and she needed to know how much he cared about her. He knew that being a member of SAMCRO made her automatically assume things about him - some were true, and some weren't. It was true he'd had sex just for the sake of having sex with women he didn't have feelings for, but it was always mutual because he respected women, especially the beautiful one in the shower with him.

When he lifted his head Carol was ready and attacked his lips hungrily. Her hands worked their way down his body while they kissed until she was fondling his erection, stroking him slowly. It felt so fucking good his legs were going weak. Once again he had to resist the urge to just plunge inside her. His dick was aching - in fact, pretty much his entire body was aching with desire. Daryl broke the kiss, "Finish this shower later?"

Carol nodded and he shut off the water. They both got out, grabbed towels and dried a little on the way to the bedroom. What happened next surprised him. She led him to the bed, eased him onto his back and before he knew what was coming his dick was in her mouth. "Fuck," he gasped, sucking in a deep breath as she moved up and down, her mouth so hot and wet. It felt absolutely heavenly, maybe a bit too heavenly because at this rate she was gonna get him off in no time. He relaxed and let her continue for a moment, only because it felt too fucking good and he couldn't get out the word 'stop.' Eventually he found the strength to lift a hand and tap her shoulder.

She lifted her head and smiled at him, she knew he needed her to stop. She kissed his hips and along his lower belly, giving him a little rest. Daryl was about to make a move when she straddled him and eased slowly down his shaft. Jesus, she was so perfectly tight and so fucking wet. With everything he was feeling his mind should have been completely shut off, but there was a voice in his head screaming that something wasn't right.

Daryl opened his eyes as she started to move on him. It was perfect. She was incredible, clearly experienced as he would expect a woman around his own age would be. But there was something off. She was too eager to please and she looked almost as if she was scared… Suddenly it hit him. "Hey," he grabbed her hips. "Stop," Daryl said gently.

Carol's face instantly went pink. "Oh God, I'm so sorry…I'm doing it wrong..." She muttered.

"It's okay… it's okay," he soothed her. Carol was sitting on him, his dick still deep inside her. "How long were you with him?" Daryl asked. He didn't want to bring up the dead bastard, but he had to know if his suspicions were correct.

Carol hung her head and he lifted her chin to look into his eyes before she spoke. "High school," she mumbled. "Pushing 30 years…" She looked sick and embarrassed.

"That's what I thought," Daryl replied, sitting up. "Lay down," he patted the bed beside him. She slowly climbed off of him and obediently lied down. "You've spent way too long trying to please a man who didn't deserve you. You need to know how special you are… how beautiful and sexy you are." As he spoke he moved until he was kneeling between her legs. "You ain't been treated right - that ends now," he growled, before dipping his head down, cheeks brushing the inside of her thighs. He felt her tense and looked up. "Is this okay?" he breathed, kissing her delicate skin. The scent was intoxicating - he couldn't wait to taste her, but he didn't want to do anything she wasn't comfortable with.

"Only… um… only if you want to…" she said shyly. Carol didn't have much of a shy side, so it was strange to see her that way. But he knew she wasn't used to someone focussing on her. He wondered if the selfish bastard had ever gone down on her. If he hadn't, he'd missed out because with one lick Daryl was in heaven.

The way she wriggled and the sighs that he was hearing confirmed she was enjoying it. He almost felt guilty because he was enjoying it every bit as much even though the focus was on her. She came quick - really quick, thankfully that wasn't an issue for her like it would have been for him. But he would have gladly liked her pussy for however long it took.

"Did you like it?" he asked, when she finally opened her eyes. It wasn't a question meant to stroke his ego in any way and the truth was - he already knew she liked it by the way her body reacted, but he was asking because he wanted her to know he'd done it for her and he was genuinely interested in whether it felt good. He wanted to be sure Carol knew he cared that she was receiving pleasure too.

"Uh, yeah," she replied, followed by an adorable giggle. "That was amazing," Carol added with a sigh. Then she was quiet a moment, looking a bit reflective. "Did you want me to go back to…" she gestured towards his dick.

Wow, this was going to be more difficult than he thought. It made his heart hurt to think of what sex had been like for her in the past. It was a chore or a routine. She was likely terrified of upsetting Ed and made sure she did everything he wanted so as not to set him off. Daryl really had to fight away the anger raging inside him because it wasn't the time for that. "Shh," he said, gently pressing on her shoulder so she would lay down again. "Close your eyes and relax."

He watched as she shut those spectacular blue eyes and waited until her breathing evened out. Daryl watched her chest move up and down and then let his eyes wash over her gorgeous body. Once he had taken in every inch of her he touched her entire body with his good hand, grazing his fingertips over her. Carol shivered and goosebumps appeared in his wake. When he had touched her all over he followed that same path one more time, patiently, with kisses.

Daryl made sure she knew he could be patient and tender as he worshipped her body. She kept her eyes closed the entire time, but her facial expressions were captivating. Slightly parted lips, the hint of a smile, biting her bottom lip… they were all things that told him she was content and enjoying him exploring her.

It wasn't until he was finally ready that he asked her to open her eyes. He needed to see them as he pushed into her. "Look at me," Daryl said huskily as he positioned himself between her legs. Slowly he inched into her as they stared at one another. It was pure magic.

Daryl was completely mesmerized once they were joined. It felt blissful to be inside her again, and especially to be in control so he could show her she's special. For a few minutes he forgot how awkward things were with only one hand until he went to link their fingers and realized he could only do that on one side.

In a matter of seconds none of that mattered anymore, yet again, because Carol cried out and squeezed his fingers tightly. He was still fucking her when he felt the contractions on his dick. "Holy fuck," he got out. The combination of her being so damn tight along with the throbbing of her inner muscles was about to push him over the edge. He was caught between knowing if he kept moving it would be over and not being able to stop because it felt so fucking good. The fact that she had already came convinced him to just keep going and it wasn't long before his balls felt tight and he reached his peak.

"Oh my God," he sighed happily as he pulled out and flopped down beside her.

"Daryl?" she said softly.

"Mmm?" he rolled and propped up on an elbow.

"Was it okay? For you?" Carol asked him, her eyes wide and innocent.

Daryl shook his head and smiled. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"I know, I know… but was it?" She asked again.

He reached out and touched her cheek with the tip of her finger. "It was… so incredible," he whispered. "You… you're incredible. I ain't so good with words, but you gotta know how much you mean to me…" Daryl knew he was nattering on, but he hoped she understood.

Finally she nodded and wiped a tear that slid down her cheek. "I do know. I do," she whispered back. They kissed for a moment and Daryl was shocked by the instant stirring inside him. He'd never been that hot for any woman before. But he'd never felt like he did with Carol. "Ready for that shower now?" she asked with a giggle. Daryl watched her naked ass as she strutted to the doorway and looked back at him. Then he jumped out of bed and took off after her knowing he would follow that woman anywhere.


End file.
